Eskom To Forge Ahead
With Tariff Hike
Contrary
to claims by economists that the first thirty five percent price
hike proposed by electricity utility Eskom, would wipe out the
projected economic growth for South Africa this year, Eskom’s
Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mpho Makwana says the tariff
increase is good for the country.
Makwana was speaking in Midrand at the close of a meeting to
wrap up ten days of hearings across the country to discuss the
proposed hike.
Makwana reaffirmed that Eskom was not interested in profits.
Referring to the impact the price hike would have, he said he
had heard submissions and believed that the impact of the tariff
increase was not one-sided.
Charlotte du Toit of the African Institute of Economic Modelling
had said at the launch of the World Economic Situation and
Prospects report in Pretoria last week, that a research
conducted on the Eskom price increase indicated that the growth
rate could actually be wiped out and with a serious impact on
employment.
Tony/Yinka
